Murder in Bikini Bottom
by dead-acc0unt
Summary: Inspector Lance Trout is the best detective in Bikini Bottom, but when the biggest murder in history occurs at the Krusty Krab, will he be able to figure out who the murderer is? Please R&R. Rated T for mild language and murder.
1. The Krusty Krab

*****DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SPONGEBOB OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS AND ALL THAT JAZZ. (ALTHOUGH, LANCE, LEONA, GARRETT, ETC. ARE MINE.)**

**Murder in Bikini Bottom**

By Christina Santos

**Chapter 1: **_**The Krusty Krab**_

Inspector Lance Trout was one of the best detectives in Bikini Bottom. He was clever, quick, and well-rounded. He had a good head on his shoulders. His intelligence has allowed him to solve many cases and also got him on the top of almost all the dirty criminals' lists in town.

Lance was at a local alehouse; The Half Shell. He was seated at the bar solemnly staring at his glass of liquor. The band on stage was playing Tony Bennett, and the smooth, calming jazz spilled throughout the room. Lance liked listening to the music; it brought him a sense of relaxation. Relaxation was all he really needed after solving countless murders in the last month. Different cases from, not just Bikini Bottom, but other cities as well, like New Kelp City. He was also still recovering from his father's death. His poor father was only 65. He died 2 ½ weeks ago due to heart failure.

He quickly put the thought out of his head and closed his eyes to take in the sound of the music playing. He listened to the trumpets, the piano, the singing, the laughter and talk that surrounded him. A smile crept upon his face as he felt himself slowly beginning to relax. He exhaled not realizing he'd been holding his breath, and opened his eyes. It felt as though he'd released all of his troubles in that single breath.

He looked over to a young lady fish that was staring at him from across the bar. She blushed and quickly turned her head; Lance smiled at her. She shyly looked up at him, checking to see if he was still looking at her. Lance winked at the beautiful, young dame and she giggled. Before he could get up and walk over to where she was sitting, his phone went off. Lance sighed, frustrated. He took out his phone and looked at the number. It was his co-worker.

"LeOna…" He said to himself.

He looked back up to where the young women was, but she was gone. He sighed again and answered the phone.

"Is there something wrong, LeOna?" he asked.

"Lance! You need to get your tailfin over the Krusty Krab ASAP. We've got a _big_ case here. I'll give you the details when you get here. We've already got the *bluecoats here with us." She said anxiously.

*_Bluecoats = Police_

"I'll be on my way..." was all Lance said and he closed the phone.

There were a lot of questions running through his mind, but for the moment, he was just focused on getting to the Krusty Krab. He left money for the barkeep, and quickly got to his car.

(x)(x)(x)(x)

When Lance arrived at the Krusty Krab, the *black and white were all over the place. The media was pushing through the crowds of people, and reporters were shoving microphones into cops faces. He overheard Garrett Fischer, sheriff of the Bikini Bottom Police Department (BBPD), talking to one of them.

*_Black and White = Police (again)_

"We won't release any information on the murder just yet. Right now, we are all playing another game of "Who Done It" and we don't need the media, or anybody else to know what's going on right now. I will release information later once the case has been solved." Sheriff Fischer said.

Lance looked through the crowd of officers, trying to find LeOna, but she found _him_ instead.

"There you are! Come on, we need to get inside!" she said as she pulled him along.

Some of the reporters tried to get some information on what was going on from Lance, but he gave them all the same answer: "I don't know." Some cops that were in charge of taking guard, pushed the reporters back as the two entered the restaurant.

When they got inside, Lance was shocked to see what had happened. Never in all his life did he think he would have to handle a case like this, but here it was, right before him. It was possibly the biggest case in all of the sea…for King Neptune had been murdered.


	2. Interrogation

**Murder in Bikini Bottom**

By Christina Santos

**Previously in Chapter 1…**

_Lance was just trying to enjoy a relaxing night at the Half Shell, but it looked like fate just wasn't having it. He received a call from LeOna telling him to get to the Krusty Krab ASAP. When Lance made it, and after being attacked by the press, he went inside the restaurant to find that King Neptune had been killed… _

**Chapter 2: **_**Interrogation**_

Lance calmed himself down. If he was going to crack this case, he had to keep his cool. He looked around the restaurant. There were a some cops, and a few other people.

"We have the place surrounded. No one can get in or out without being seen." LeOna said.

Lance nodded and walked over to King Neptune's dead body. He had his arms crossed, and he was thinking. 'Who would want to kill the king?' 'What would any of these people want with him?' 'What did anyone have against the poor king?'

He looked back around the room, and saw a group of people huddled in the side of the room.

"Who are these people, LeOna?"he asked.

LeOna pulled a small notebook out. "The sponge is Spongebob Squarepants; fry cook for the Krusty Krab. The crab is Eugene Krabs; owner and manager of the Krusty Krab. The squid is Squidward Tentacles; the Krusty Krab cashier. The whale is Pearl Krabs; Krabs' daughter. The sea star is Patrick Star; friend of Squarepants. And the land mammal is Sandy Cheeks; friend of the sponge and the star."

"Good, good…what other information do you have on the case?" he asked.

LeOna gave Lance her notebook so he could read the notes.

"Well, the station said they received a call from Squarepants around 10:45pm. They said he sounded so distressed they barely make out what he was saying. All they told me was that Neptune was chowing down on a Krabby Patty, he'd gone to the bathroom and the lights started acting funny and then went completely out, but came back on a few minutes later. When Neptune finally came out of the bathroom he was stumbling around like a drunken fool, he tried to say something, but it didn't come out. He just fell face down. Someone checked to see if he was still breathing, but they couldn't find a pulse." she told him.

Lance didn't say anything. He put a hand behind his neck and just stared at the notes. All he knew was that there were eight potential suspects, and that it was going to be a very long night.

"I'm gonna need to talk to these people separately. LeOna, is there a place where I can talk to them, and ask them some questions?"

Mr. Krabs overheard Lance, "You can use me office."

"Sounds just fine." Lance said as he pulled out a pen,"Now, why don't you and I head there right now? I'm gonna need to ask you some questions…"

Mr. Krabs gulped nervously, "Err…alright…Am I getting paid?"

"No, Mr. Krabs. You are not being paid…" Lance said.

Mr. Krabs looked down in disappointment and headed towards his office.

Lance clicked his pen and wrote in his notebook:

_Eugene Krabs: takes an interest in money…_

-And he tagged along behind him.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait and the short chapter. 3


	3. Eugene Krabs

**Murder in Bikini Bottom**

By Christina Santos

**Previously in Chapter 2…**

_After taking in the site of the murder scene, Lance asked LeOna for further details and what she knew about the case. LeOna came to reveal that after a short blackout, King Neptune had come stumbling out of the bathroom and fell face down on the ground dead. Now Lance is going to interrogate everyone, and Mr. Krabs is up first…_

**Chapter 3: **_**Eugene Krabs**_

"Will you need us, detective?" a cop said from the doorway.

"No thank you, officer. I'll take it from here. Just keep an eye peeled on those suspects."

The cop nodded and closed the door behind him.

Lance seated himself behind Mr. Krabs desk and turned on the lamp. He turned it toward Mr. K.

"So…Eugene Krabs…correct?"

"Aye."

"My name is Lance Trout, but you can just call me Inspector Trout, or Detective Trout. It really doesn't matter. Whatever you are comfortable with."Lance looked at his notebook, "So…Mr. Krabs…can you please tell me why King Neptune was even here at the Krusty Krab?"

"I believe the king just stopped by for a bite. He always comes to me restaurant when he eats out."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I'm not completely sure what happened, but a while back me fry cook Spongebob somehow got into a competition with the king to see who could cook the best burgers. He fell in love with Spongebob's Krabby Patty, and since he couldn't have the boy cook in his palace, he just comes here from time to time."Mr. Krabs told him, "Glad to know the king has a good taste in food…and he knows where to spend his cash!"

Mr. Krabs burst into laughter over his "joke".

Lance was chewing on the inside of his cheek, sternly staring at Mr. Krabs. He could see that this little "money thing" Krabs had could leave him as a suspect, yet again, everyone that was there at the restaurant was a suspect…

Lance cleared his throat after Mr. Krabs was done laughing.

"How much do you care about money, Mr. K?"

"Money? _Money?_ Why…money makes the world go 'round, detective! It's what keeps your suit clean! It's what got you that notebook! It's what manages me restaurant! Money is _everything_! I could sit here all day and tell you anything and everything you need to know about money!-"

Lance squinted as Mr. Krabs went on with his speech about how great money was.

"-Ahem-Um, thank you...Mr. Krabs. So, I'm guessing you don't have anything against King Neptune?"

"Of course not!" Mr. Krabs said nonchalantly, "-And I didn't kill the man if that's what yer thinkin'! I wouldn't kill one of me best customers! I'm hopin' ye find the lily-liver who killed him, though! Whoever they might be deserves to be locked up in the stony lonesome for life!"

Lance nodded and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Thank you, Mr. Krabs. That's all I needed. Let's go out into the other room so I can get my next person."

"No problem, Inspector Trout! Pleasure doin' business with ya!"

"Don't look at it as doing business, Mr. Krabs. Just look at it as fighting for what's right."

Mr. Krabs laughed, "I like that, boy. I'm gonna remember that!"

Lance laughed a little to himself and opened the door for Mr. Krabs. When they stepped out into the room, sirens began to go off.

"What's going on?" Lance shouted over the noise.

"It's the alarm! We have an intruder!" Spongebob shouted back.

"Plankton!" Mr. Krabs said.

He scuttled over to the kitchen and shut the alarm went off. When he came back, he had Plankton in his claw.

"What is _that_?" a police officer asked.

"I'm not an object you know…." Plankton murmured.

Mr. Krabs pulled out a jar and drop Plankton inside of it.

"_This_ be me rival, _Plankton._" He said.

Lance walked up to the jar and tapped on it with his pen. The jar shook and Plankton's antennas picked up the vibrations, giving him a headache.

"AAAH! Stop it you infernal fool!" he said, holding his head.

"So, your name is Plankton, huh?"

"_Sheldon_ Plankton; who wants to know?"

Lance unscrewed the jar and sat Plankton on the lid. He tucked away his notepad and pen.

"My name is Detective Lance Trout. I'm here to investigate a murder. Do you mind explaining why you are here with all the cops around?"

"A _murder_?" Plankton asked, "Who died? I was just here t-…uh…nevermind."

"To _what_?"

"-To steal me secret formula!" Mr. Krabs added, "He _would_ be the fool to just come in ever so casual and steal the formula _while_ the heat was around."

"Why would _I_ steal the formula? I don't need it! I can run my restaurant without that stupid formula of yours…I went to college!" Plankton said, as if the college part mattered.

"Don't play dumb ya sneaky son of a paramecium! Ya try to do the same thing almost everyday, and you fail every time, too! Just like now!" Mr. Krabs shouted,"Unless _you_ were the *plugger!"

*_Plugger = Killer_

"What? I don't even know who died! How in Neptune's name would I be the killer?"

"Coincidence you mention his name, Mr. Plankton…" Lance said.

"Wha-?"

"-because King Neptune is our victim…"

Plankton gulped. He knew he just put himself in a bad situation.


End file.
